Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, data, and so on. These systems may be multiple-access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., bandwidth and transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems.
Generally, a wireless multiple-access communication system can simultaneously support communication for multiple user equipment devices (UE). Each UE communicates with one or more base stations, such as an evolved Node B (eNB) via transmissions on the forward and reverse links. The forward link (or downlink) refers to the communication link from the eNBs to the UEs, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communication link from the UEs to the eNBs. This communication link may be established via a single-in-single-out, multiple-in-single-out or a multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO) system. In this regard, the UEs can access wireless network via one or more eNBs.
Network deployment for these systems is typically fixed, and thus the eNBs communicate with a home network related to a UE to obtain and/or verify subscription information for the UE on a given network. Wireless networks typically employ a home subscriber server (HSS) for managing information relating to UEs subscribed to the wireless network, which may be based on identifying the UE using its international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI) and/or other identification. In this regard, eNBs providing wireless network access to a UE can communicate with the HSS associated with the UE (e.g., by traversing one or more network nodes) to verify a subscription of the UE. In many examples, the eNB can be on a visiting network and can access the HSS on the home network of the UE to verify the subscription.
There is a desire, however, to allow UEs to communicate using one or more wireless network technologies in other contexts over third-party networks where access and traffic is managed by an owner of the third-party network and/or where frequency bands in unlicensed spectrums are used for communications, and access is allowed by the third party using authentication with credentials from a mobile network operator (MNO) related to the UE or other service providers. These third-party networks can be referred to as neutral host networks such that the entity hosting the network may not be managed by a MNO, and such that traffic need not first traverse an MNO network. In addition, the neutral host network may include one or more eNBs or other access points that may offer different services to one or more UEs via one or more service providers.